Police Book Driver and Petrol Pump Employee in the scams for Siphoning Cash Over Three Years
Mumbai Police have registered a case of major financial fraud against the driver of veteran writer and actor Farhan Akhtar’s mother, Honey Irani, for misusing the actor’s fuel cards to siphon off an estimated ₹12 lakh. The accused, driver Naresh Singh (35), allegedly colluded with a petrol pump employee in Bandra to convert fake fuel transactions into cash. Police officially booked the two men after Irani’s manager uncovered significant discrepancies in the vehicle’s fuel records.
The fraud involved a simple yet repeated violation of trust. Driver Naresh Singh used cards issued in Farhan Akhtar’s name for filling fuel in Irani’s car. However, instead of actually refuelling the vehicle, Singh would swipe the card multiple times at a petrol pump located near Bandra Lake on SV Road.
The second accused, petrol pump employee Arun Singh (52), immediately became an active participant in the scam. Arun Singh would process the fraudulent transactions as if a large quantity of fuel had been dispensed. He would then hand over cash to Naresh Singh, after deducting his own share from the siphoned amount. Sources indicate the duo pocketed between ₹1,000 and ₹1,500 per fake swipe.
This calculated misuse of the fuel cards and the trust placed in the driver continued from April 2022 to September 2025, accumulating the substantial loss of approximately ₹12 lakh.
Honey Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia (36), grew suspicious when she reviewed the fuel consumption records. The detailed logs raised immediate red flags that directly contradicted the ground reality of the vehicle’s use.
Investigators discovered alarming inconsistencies:
- Massive Overbilling: Records showed a car with a standard 35-litre fuel tank had registered refills of up to 62 litres, an obvious impossibility.
- Ghost Purchases: The accounts also revealed fuel purchases for a vehicle the family had sold seven years prior, confirming the systematic nature of the scam.
Bhatia filed a formal complaint at the Bandra Police Station on October 1, 2025. Facing mounting evidence and interrogation, Naresh Singh ultimately confessed to the malpractice, admitting he obtained the cards from Akhtar’s former driver in 2022 and had continuously used the scheme to pocket cash for years.
Mumbai Police have acted swiftly, registering a case under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The two accused, Naresh Singh and Arun Singh, face serious charges including:
- Criminal Breach of Trust (Section 316(2))
- Cheating (Section 318(4))
- Fraud (Section 3(5))
Police currently investigate the full extent of the fraud and work to recover the misappropriated funds, highlighting a case where an internal conspiracy led to a significant financial hit for the celebrity family. This incident serves as a stark reminder that high-profile figures must maintain vigilance over internal accounting processes, even with trusted long-term employees.
